Garment-clasp.



No. 690,990. Patented lan. I4, |902.

B. F. UREWILEB.

. GARMENT CLASP.

(Application filed Dec, 13, 1900.) (No Model.)

THE Normes arms co. PNoToLlrNo., wAsHmG'roN. o, c.

,have a gradually-increasing width from the limitan @rares Parana Ormea.

BENJAMIN F. OREVILER, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

GARMENTMCLASP.

SPECEFCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 690,990, dated January 14, 1902.

Application filed December 13, 1900. Serial No. 39,665. (No model.)

T0 all wh/mt it may concern:

Be itknown that LBENJAMIN F. OREWILER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Garment-Clasp, of which the followingis a specication.

My present invention relates to a novel garment-clasp of the class ordinarily employed as the hose-engaging element or elements of hose-supporters, which character of clasps is composed of a small buckle or plate carried at the extremity of a tape, elastic, or other fabric and having a headed stud designed to be engaged by a second clasp member, likewise carried by the tape or fabric and having the general form of a loop, through which the stud or button covered by the garment is designed to be passed and having one end constricted for the purpose of engaging the sh ank` of the button or stud when the two members of the clasp are moved relatively after the fabric-covered button has been passed through the large end of the loop. When the fabric being clasped is comparatively heavy, it is difficult to urge the button into the constricted end of the loop, and in order to overcome this difficulty it is common to divide the loop at its upper or wider end in order that its side portions may yield more or less as the button is forced to its engaging position, and where this expedient is employed the narrow end of the loop or of the opening therein is provided with a constricted throat, somewhat narrower than the lower end of the opening, so that when the sides of the loop are sprung back or spread the sides of the constricted end of the loop will be approximately parallel. This has been found to be essential, for the reason that otherwise the constricted end of the loop when spread would lower end of the loop to the enlarged portion thereof, and the button would therefore, were it not for this constriction, be permitted to readily move toward the large end of the loop and become detached. Theoretically the loop constructed as described is open to little objection; but it is found in practice that where the loop is divided at its upper end it is practically impossible to spring apart or separate the sides of the constricted portion adjacent to the lower end thereof, the result of which is that it is difficult to force the fabric-covered stud past the narrow throat at the upper end of the constriction, and after this has been accomplished by the application of un due force, tending to tear the garment, the stud will pass into the comparatively wide lower end of the narrow portion of the loop, where it will be retained with sufficient looseness to permit the garment to become detached from the button when subjected to more orlcss strain.

The object of my invention, therefore, is to obviate the difficulties noted by eliminating the objectionable features responsible for them. This is accomplished by divi-ding the loop at its lower end-that is to'say, at the extremity of its narrow portion-and by inaking such narrow portion or constriction parallel-sided to eliminate the constricted throat heretofore deemed necessary, the elimination of this feature being made possible by the fact that the loop is divided at its lower or narrow end to bring the greatest separative movement of the sides of the loop at the button-engaging end thereof, as distinguished from the usual forms of button-loops, which yield most at their upper or tape engaging extremities.

A further object of the invention is to eliminate the necessity for sewing the tape in order to effect its attachment to the members of the clasp, this end being attained by a novel construction of the loop and stud-plate, respectively, to effect their direct and permanent engagement with a single piece of tape at different points.

To the accomplishment of the several objects stated and others which will hereinafter more fully appear the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and defined in the appended claims.

In said drawings, Figure lis an elevation of my clasp, the members of which are connected to a tape as in use. Fig. 2 is an edge view of the subject-matter of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section on the line 3 3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the loop detached. Fig. 5 is a similar view of the button-plate.

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view IOO onthe line 6 6 of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a detail View of the lower end of the loop with the bridge-piece removed. Fig. 8 is a detail View of the blank from which the bridge-piece is formed.

Referring to the numerals employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the views, 1 indicates atape, elastic, or other iexible strip constituting a part of a garmentsupporter, and 2 and 3 indicate the loop member and button member, respectively, of the clasp designed to engage the garment. The button member comprises a light metal plate 4, from the center of which extends aheaded button 5, at opposite sides of which the plate is provided with pairs of parallel slots defming retaining-bars 6, 7, 8, and 9, the bar 8 being formed with a compressible retainingfin l0, extending toward the bar S), located at the lower edge of the plate. The member thus constructed is attached to the tape by passing the end of the latter under the bar 6, over the bar 7, under the main body portion of the plate supporting the button, thence over both bars 8 and 9, and around the latter, where the extremity 11 of said tape is permanently secured by being passed under the compressible iin` 10, which is finally compressed thereon. ln this manner the button member is permanently attached to the end of the tape4 without necessity for looping and stitching the latter in the usual manner.

The general form of the loop member 2 is ordinary-that is to say, it is formed with an elongated opening having a comparatively wide upper end 12 and a narrow or con stricted lower or button-engaging end 13. The loop differs from the usual constructions of clasps by having the narrow portion 13 of the opening parallel-sided, as best illustrated in Fig. 4, instead of having a further constriction or throat at the intersection of the wide and narrow portions 12 and 13 of the opening. .A further distinguishing feature is that the loop 2 is divided at the middle of its lower or constricted end, as indicated at 14, so that while the fabric-covered button may be passed readily into the narrow end of the opening it will not be permitted to slip back, for the reason that as the lower ends of the loop sides are spread the sides of the constriction 13 necessarily assume a slightly-divergent relation, producing, as illustrated in Fig. 4, a slight constriction or throat intermediate of the wide and narrow portions 12 and 13 of the opening. that this constriction or throat is not produced until after the button has been moved to the lower end of the loop and has spread the side portions thereof, this peculiarity, which is a distinct feature of the construction, being made possible by reason of the fact that the division of the loop is effected at its lower or constricted end, as distinguished from the ordinary division thereof at its opposite extremity.

lt must be borne in mind, however,

In order to prevent undue spreading of the loop and to effectually protect the garment, its divided lower end is inclosed within a tubular bridge-piece 15, completely concealing the division and provided with stop-lugs 16, bent from its opposite ends and passed into short slots 17, formed in the loop at opposite sidesofthedividing-line. ltshouldbenoted, however, that under normal conditions the stop-lugs, which are of substantially rightangular form, entirely cover and obscure the slots 17 on the exposed face of the clasp; but when the loop is expanded these lugs play within the slots and serve to limit the separation of the loop sides, as shown in Fig. 4. Particular attention is directed to the fact that the difficulty of spreading the sides of the narrow or constricted portion of the loop to an appreciable extent, which is a characteristic of loops divided at their upper or wide ends, is entirely overcome by dividing the loop at its lower end, as described, because in the latter construction the sides of the loop have their axes of movement at their upper ends, and the material separation of their lower ends is therefore easily effected when the fabric-covered button is urged into the narrow end 13 of the opening.

l have heretofore stated that one of the ob-v jects of the invention is to effect the attachment of both clasp members to a single piece of tape without necessity for sewing or otherwise securing the latter by separate fastening means, and I have already explained the manner in which the button member is thus attached. The attachment of the loop member is effected in a somewhat similar manner-that is to say, by folding and refolding the tape in a manner to effect a secure attachment without sewing. To this end the upper or wide end of the loop is provided beyond the opening therein with a pair of transverse slots 18 and 19, serving to deine three transverse bars 20, 21, and 22. Before the button member is attached the lower end of the tape is carried under the bar 20, through the slot 18, over the bars 21 and 22, around the bar 22, back through the slot 19, and over and around the bar 21, the end of the loop being finally brought through the upper slot 18 and attached in a manner already described to the button member 3.

By reference to Fig. 3 it will be seen that in this manner two oppositely-disposed loops 23 and 24 are formed in the tape, one passing under the lower bar 22 and the other passing over the intermediate bar 21, the strains of these loops being exerted in opposite directions by the upper and lower ends of the tape above and below its connection with the loop. lt will also appear that the loop 24 as it passes in front of the bar 21 is compressed thereon by the imposed portion of the loop 23, so that the greater the strain on the loop 23 the more securely will the loop 24 be held to prevent movement of the loop member upon the tape.

TOO

IIO

In use the garment-supporter is suspended in any desired manner, and the upper edge of the hose is placed over the button 5, and the latter is then passed through the large end l2 of the loop and is urged downwardly into the constricted portion 13 thereof, the widthl of which is less than the diameter of the button or head of the stud, so that the latter is prevented from being withdrawn from the loop until slid toward the upper end thereof. If the material covering the button is sufficiently heavy to cause the latter to bind within the constriction of the loop, the side walls of the latter will be forced apart in a manner heretofore described to accommodate the movement of the button to the lower end of the loop. As the sides of the constriction 13 are parallel and as the sides of the loop swing from their upper ends, the sides of the constriction 13 when spread by the button will assume a slight downwardly-divergent relation, so that upward movement of the button toward the Wide end of the opening will be prevented, and the hose will thus be securely clasped.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have devised a clasp for hose-supporters embodying a construction best calculated to eect the accomplishment of theseveral objects stated; but I wish to reserve the right to vary the construction and arrangement of the clasp members in any manner which may be clearly embraced within the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is- 1. Abutton member for clasps comprising a plate having a central transverse bar and a headed stud rigidly mounted thereon, and a pair of transverse retaining-bars located beyond each side of the central bar, the retaining-bar next below the central bar being provided with a compressible n having a straight edge disposed parallel with said bar and in close relation to the lowermost of the several retaining-bars of the plate.

2. The combination with a button member.

comprising a plate having a series of transverse slots defining a central bar provided with a rigid projecting button, and a pair of parallel retaining-bars beyond each side of the central bar, of a tape passed under the retaining-bar at the upper end of the buttonplate, over the next adjacent retaining-bar, under the central bar carrying the button, over the two retaining-bars below the central bar, and around the lowermost retaining-bar, and a compressible fin extending from the retaining-bar next above the lowermost retaining-bar, and engaging the end of the tape passed around said lowermost retaining-bar.

3. A loop member for clasps having a comparatively narrow divided lower end, a tubular bridge-piece inclosing the divided end of the loop member and entirely obscuring the division, said loop member being provided with slots located beyond the opposite ends Q La.

of said tubular member, and lugs extending from the opposite ends of the tubular bridgepiece at the front side thereof and entirely covering the slots under normal conditions, said lugs being provided with angular extremities passed into the slots but not entirely through the loop member, whereby both the division of the loop member and the slots therein are entirely covered and obscured at the front side of the member under normal conditions.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN F. OREWILER. Witnesses:

L. A. OREWILER, G. I-I. REINBERGER. 

